Words of the Dark World
by Aeternus-Spes
Summary: They're trapped, in this world of darkness. /But at least it's not as dark as Kingdom Hearts was./ Time is a luxury, the two found. A luxury for the realm of light and only for the people who existed to live and protect it. Riku/Sora One-Shot


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Because there's not enough Dark World stuff I can find.

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Together in the world of Dark, simply watching the dark sky, the endless ocean, the dark formations above the water. Words aren't needed. Not really. Together they can sit in the silence, thinking. Both know that the chances of being found a slim. Sora believes he can fool himself into thinking that Riku isn't badly injured. That in reality Riku can walk properly and there will never be a need for Sora to leave Riku behind again.

_Never again. Never again. I wont ever leave you behind again._

Riku knows that his legs will work again sometime. He knows that he will be able to stand and walk unaided, just given time, but even that wont matter. They're trapped, in this world of darkness.

_But at least it's not as dark as Kingdom Hearts was._

Time is a luxury, the two found. A luxury for the realm of light and only for the people who existed to live and protect it. Everyone else, the dark world, The World That Never Was, Kingdom Hearts, none of these worlds needed time. Nor did the worlds want time. So the two sat, possibly for hours, possibly for minutes, wrapped up in their own thoughts of a world were time was taken for granted.

_This time…Now I have a 'this time' with him, I find we have no time, no time except for how long we last._

But they wont last for long. Even if there is no time, their bodies still demand the same. Food. Water. They can't go without the two, but there is nowhere for the two to be found. So soon they will die.

_And it wont be painless, if this is how we are to die._

Even though words aren't necessary, Sora just can't help but making sure this is real.

"Hey…Riku?" _You still alive?_

The answer takes a while to come, the other, older boy, just so tired. "Yeah?" _I'm still with you._

_We wont be separated again so easily._

Silence. Sora doesn't speak. He looks at the sea, almost like if he takes his gaze off it the world would fall apart. Finally, Sora moves his hand so that it lightly rests on Riku's. Sora tries. He really does. He tries so hard to find words of reassurance to speak. Not just to Riku. To himself. He needs to know that they wont just be left here. Left in this world. He may have said that he'll guard this world. Be the one to keep the balance, but it's a lie. Everyone who has ever met to boy knows that Sora is Light. He is the one thing, the one person who can dispel all darkness from the worlds. The universe. Without Sora, the realm of light will suffer terribly. Sora will be missed.

Sora wants to comfort Riku. Sora wants to say "You wont be in the darkness anymore" but he can't. And it hurts so bad. Sora made a promise to himself. He made a promise to Riku that no matter what, the older boy wouldn't have to spend anymore time in the darkness.

But he failed.

And yet, when Riku's hand turns so that their hands are clasped together, Sora manages a tiny smile, just a fraction of it's blinding radiance.

_I guess being in a world of darkness does that._

That's when Riku understands that Sora needs to be comforted.

"You know…They wont stop looking." He mutters, his eyes un-focusing slightly on the horizon. "Kairi. Donald. Goofy. King Mickey." Riku tilts his head back, letting his heavy eyes fall closed. "You made good friends. They wont stop looking for you."

_They wont stop looking for __**you**__. They have no reason to be looking for me anymore. You were the only reason why the tried to find me in the first place. They followed you, to protect you. They weren't doing it for me._

"Us." Sora's voice is quiet, but it only has to compete with the waves and their breathing. "They wont stop looking for _**us**_ Riku."

A light snort of amusement. "Sure Sora. If you say so."

Their hands stay intertwined, one looking towards the horizon, as if expecting to see the friends save them, the other simply resting, his eyes closed, but still facing the sky, as if searching for an escape.

"I - " Sora starts, wanting to make Riku understand. "I…I wont let you."

Curious, mainly because he doesn't understand, Riku opens an eyes look at Sora. "Hmm?"

"I wont let you stay in the darkness anymore. You've had to survive in there longer than anyone anywhere should. So I wont let you stay in the darkness. You're gunna come home with me. We are going to go home. I don't care if this world needs to be protected. We can do it from the outside. We can protect it from the outside. You don't deserve to be here anymore. You don't deserve anything like this. You don't -"

"Have you…ever thought I might?" Riku's voice is also quiet, but it instantly shuts Sora up. "How I acted…Those years ago. How I treated you - the one I lov - "

_Never say those worlds. If you say them he'll have to hate you. He should hate you anyway, but he doesn't, so don't ever say those words because if he hates you you'll have nothing left. No where to go, no one to turn to so don't ever say those words, never ever._

"How I treated you - my best friend - it's my punishment. Don't you see?" He almost laughs. "The two years in darkness was my punishment. This is just a continuation."

He doesn't notice the slowly tightening grip on his hand. He doesn't notice the way Sora tenses beside him. He doesn't notice because his eyes are closed and he's back in the darkness, trying to repent for sins that he can never be clean from.

He does notice, however, when Sora punches him in the face.

Well, on his left cheek. Riku's mind is sort of dazed as he collapses on his right side, head thumping into the wet sand, as the tide draws up to him.

Sora's breathing is slightly fast, but he's shaking with anger and his fists are still clenched.

"Never say that to me, Riku." His voice is trembling, he doesn't want to hear anything like that from his best friend.

_Best friend who you adore. Who you've always had a connection with. Who you promised never to forget. Who you've never wanted to __**be like**__**him **__because then maybe he'd actually look at you. The best friend who you fell in love with so many years ago._

"I never thought you deserved this. Sure - I was angry. I might have said nasty things to you when I was angry, but you did act like a jerk at times, but it wasn't you! It wasn't the Riku I've grown up with. You were being manipulated by the darkness, you were controlled by Xehanort and Xemnas and Ansem and Maleficent and Darkness! And I know that it wasn't you. So I don't care what you say. I know you don't expect me to forgive you, but I have. I forgave you the moment you tried to stop Xehanort from attacking me and Kairi. So just shut up and just shut up and accept that you don't need to bare all of the pain on your own anymore. Because I'm not going to ever let you go, okay?" Sora's words have become frantic; Riku must understand. He must. Sora's emotions are all pouring out in his words. He just can't stop anymore. In the two years they've been separated he's wanted to tell Riku so many things, but never had the chance. Sora never really hated Riku. How could he?

How could Sora hate the person he fell in love with?

"It was never your fault." Sora whispers, almost brokenly, slumping, the anger leaving his body, his voice no longer shaking.

Riku makes no move to get up. For one he doesn't think he can actually move his body in such way, but the other reason being that he is so shocked by Sora's words.

Well, not so much the words, but the ferocity behind the words. Unsure of how he should react, Riku finally murmurs "Can you help me sit up?"

Without a word, the younger boy stands and kneels down to where Riku has fallen and puts an arm around Riku's shoulder, slowly helping sit upright again, pretty much in the same position as before.

Only this time, Riku doesn't let Sora let go. He pulls the Keyblade Master into a hug. "I…I'm sorry." He whispers. Resting his head against Sora's shoulder.

"It's okay. It's not like I can stay mad at someone I love for long."

There is a definite pause, before Sora asks, "I just said that out loud, didn't I?"

Riku nods, knowing that Sora can feel the movement. "Love as in love like brotherly love?"

_Now or never…_

"No, not really. More like the sort of love that can break a heart."

"Oh."

_I really do love you. No matter what._

Riku pulls away slightly, just enough so that he can open his eyes and look at Sora's face, which is slightly flushed, determinedly looking away.

"Good." Riku says, loving the way Sora's eyes widen first, before the younger boy's head turns to stare at Riku, not really understand what the word meant. "Good. That you love me. But I don't love you that sort of way. I love you the way where we will both love each other and never worry about heart break because I love you. And I will never hurt you."

And Sora has nothing to say. So instead they end up kissing slowly, tenderly, like they have all of the time in the world.

Which, in a sense, they do.

_Hope is a wonderful thing. Something to be cherished and nurtured. And something that will refresh us in return._

The two people who saved all of the worlds and in repayment are now stuck protecting the world of dark, are not longer hugging each other.

Once again they are sitting side by side, but everything has changed.

The spark of hope, the spark of light -

_of love…_

Has been rekindled inside the two. No longer do they fear dying in this world of darkness. They both know that they will be found, because they are loved by many other people. But no one else can share the bond between the two that has been formed by their stay in the dark world.

_And it can be found in each of us, And it can bring light into the darkest of places._

And the only thought that runs through their minds and hearts as they walk through the door of light, brought on by the hope they were given, is that maybe…Maybe being sent to the world of darkness wasn't a punishment.

And actually, without that darkness, the light would never have looked so beautiful.

**Ack, okay so I was listening to Sanctuary, the song for the ending of KHII and I got this idea, that just wouldn't let go. So I spent 3 hours working on this, mainly listening to Sancutary and then www (.) youtube (.) com (/)watch?v()vOzRAaXxjek **

**Just remove the barkets, or search Kingdom Hearts Medley into Youtube. **

**So yeah. Hope you enjoyed it, even if it's really different from what I normally write.**

**But I am a MASSIVE KH fan.**

**¬¬ and totally phsyced about 358/2 Days. Hell yes; a game all about Roxas and the Organisation?**


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